Jesse grew up in a military base town and was best friends with Eric in middle school. After the base closed and Eric moved away, they exchanged handwritten letters for a while but eventually lost touch. Then one day, during his senior year, Jesse saw live news coverage of students fleeing a school — and realized it was Eric’s.

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This is the first in a short series exploring the stories behind meaningful objects.

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Do you have a story about a meaningful object you want to share for this series? Email [email protected] or message us on Instagram @recollectorpod.

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Produced by Evan Roberts with help from Joey Plaster

Episode Art by Ariana Martinez

Music by Blue Dot Sessions

A distinguished panel of guests discuss the queer value of Meryl Streep's film and cultural contributions to ascertain - once and for all - her status as a queer icon.

Kellyann Conway offers her throat to the divine.

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Jon met Cavatina in a web forum for schizophrenics and some moments later, she adopted him.

These interviews were recorded for a story that was not produced. Are you interested in hearing more?

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Where were you when you first heard the term "social distancing"? Various callers from across the country answer this question and more in voicemails that were collected during the first few weeks of the pandemic in March of 2020. My collaborator Tina Antolini and I eventually collected enough voicemails to make 5 short thematic pieces from the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Three days after 9/11, I walked around Portland, Maine with a cassette recorder.

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How people are negotiating their libido during quarantine ... and is it really just about sex?

Calls about what we thought this might be like... & what we're doing to keep our spirits up. Hint: it involves singing.